The Solana and NEAR ecosystems are two of the fastest-growing environments for high-speed, low-cost decentralized finance. If you’re looking for strong yield farming opportunities outside of Ethereum, both chains offer under-the-radar protocols, competitive APYs, and innovative staking models.
This guide breaks down the best opportunities, risks, and strategies to help you farm safely and profitably.
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Why Look at Solana and NEAR for Yield Farming?
Both networks offer huge advantages for yield farmers:
Solana Advantages
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Ultra-low fees — transactions usually cost under $0.01.
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High throughput — supports complex strategies without bottlenecks.
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Mature DeFi ecosystem — many new protocols launched in 2024–2025.
NEAR Advantages
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Fast finality & low fees — ideal for active yield strategies.
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Account abstraction UX — easier wallet management.
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Strong ecosystem funding — new yield protocols appear constantly.
Top Yield Farming Opportunities on Solana
Solana DeFi has exploded, especially with the rise of restaking, liquid staking, and high-TVL DEX farming.
1. Jito (Liquid Staking + MEV Rewards)
Category: Liquid staking
Typical Yield: 7–9% APR
Why It’s Unique: Jito adds MEV rewards on top of staking yield, often outperforming other staking tokens.
Best Strategy:
Stake SOL → receive JitoSOL → deposit into lending markets or LP vaults for boosted yield.
2. Marinade Finance (mSOL & Liquid Staking Derivatives)
Category: Liquid staking / DeFi integrations
Typical Yield: 6–8% APR
Why It’s Strong:
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mSOL is widely accepted in Solana DeFi.
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Integrates with lending markets, farms, and stable vaults.
Best Strategy:
Use mSOL as collateral on platforms like Kamino or Marginfi to earn layered yield.
3. Kamino (Auto-Compounding LP Vaults)
Category: Yield optimizer
Typical Yield: 8–40% depending on the pool and volatility
Why It’s Popular:
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Concentrated liquidity strategies managed automatically.
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Safer than manual CLMM farming.
Good Pools:
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SOL/USDC
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mSOL/SOL
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BONK/SOL (higher risk, higher reward)
4. Orca (DEX Farming)
Category: AMM + farming
Typical Yield: 5–60%
Orca provides stablecoin pools with lower risk and meme-coin pools with higher rewards.
Stablecoin Pools:
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USDC/USDT: 5–10%
Volatile Pools: -
SOL/BONK: 20–50%+
5. Solayer & Restaking Protocols (New in 2025)
Category: Restaking / AVS yield
Why It Matters:
Restaking is one of the fastest-growing yield sectors on Solana.
Typical yield: 10–20% depending on AVS rewards and airdrops.
Top Yield Farming Opportunities on NEAR
NEAR’s ecosystem is smaller but rapidly growing, especially with liquid staking derivatives and Ref Finance activity.
1. Meta Pool (Liquid Staking: stNEAR)
Category: Liquid staking
Typical Yield: 7–9% APR
Why It Works Well:
stNEAR is widely used on NEAR DEXes and lending markets.
Best Strategy:
Deposit stNEAR into Ref Finance LPs for boosted yield.
2. Ref Finance (NEAR’s Main DEX)
Category: AMM + yield farming
Typical Yield: 10–40%
Best pools:
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stNEAR/NEAR
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NEAR/USDT
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USDC/USDT (low risk)
3. Burrow Finance (Lending & Leveraged Staking)
Category: Lending / yield layers
Typical Yield: 10–20% with leveraged staking
Strategy Example:
Deposit stNEAR → borrow NEAR → restake → loop for higher APY.
Be cautious: leverage adds liquidation risk.
4. Sweat Economy (Move-to-Earn Staking)
Category: Gamified staking
Yield: Variable (often 8–12%)
Why It’s Unique:
Farm yield by holding and staking SWEAT tokens earned from everyday steps.
5. Spin Finance (DEX + Derivatives Farming)
Category: Derivatives / AMM
Typical Yield: 10–25%
Good for experienced users comfortable with more advanced tools.
Cross-Chain Opportunities: Solana ↔ NEAR
Best Bridges:
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Rainbow Bridge (NEAR ↔ Ethereum → cross-routes to Solana)
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Wormhole (fastest for Solana)
Cross-Chain Strategies:
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Stake SOL → move yield to NEAR stables
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Farm NEAR → bridge profits to Solana meme farms
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Use Solana restaking tokens as collateral on cross-chain lending markets
Risks to Consider Before Farming
Both ecosystems are fast-moving—always evaluate the core risks:
Smart Contract Risk:
New protocols = higher chance of bugs or exploits.
Impermanent Loss:
Especially common in volatile pools like SOL/BONK.
Liquidation Risk:
Leveraged staking strategies can unwind fast.
Bridge Risk:
Not all bridges are equally secure.
Token Volatility:
High-APY pools often include volatile or new assets.
Who Should Use Solana Yield Farming?
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You want extremely low transaction fees
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You farm actively or use automated LP strategies
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You want exposure to fast-moving meme and restaking ecosystems
Who Should Use NEAR Yield Farming?
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You prefer simpler liquid staking strategies
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You like stable, growing ecosystems
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You want predictable yields with fewer volatile meme pools
Final Verdict: Where Are the Best Opportunities?
Best for Low-Risk Yield:
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Solana: JitoSOL, mSOL, Kamino stable pools
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NEAR: Meta Pool + Ref Finance stable pairs
Best for Higher APYs:
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Solana: Concentrated liquidity farms + restaking
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NEAR: Leveraged staking on Burrow
Best for New Under-the-Radar Opportunities:
Solana restaking protocols in early-stage airdrop seasons.
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About the Author: Alex Assoune
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